The Irish standard., 1887-02-05

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name, and when we sit down to ou1
meals, see his old hand closed, and
hear his holy, contented prayer, and
think of all his fondness and his love,
saying thing from his heart and seem.
ing to make joke of it. No Dragging
love, like a young mans. And some.
times too, in the dead OF the winter nigh!
when I lie alone in my bed, and the
rain beats on the thatch, and the wind
blows, and my first frightful dreams
come on, see him then with his Write,
bony cheek, and his red and angry eyes,
and his long. gray hairs hanging down
about his face, standing on the floor,
and looking down towards me, upbraid-
ing me with everything, Sally, look at
your father, how you have served him.
You have left his arms for common
robbers All, Sally, when / held you
i'll my arms a little child, when Kissed
your cheek, and taught you to know the
right from the wrong, [ little thought
you would make me such return as
this one day. And sometimes see him
in rags and poverty, aud he bends over
me with MS cold blue lips, and presses
his hands down upon my throat till I
gasp for breath. and screecll out o. my
sleep, and wake in the midst Of O. the
darkness, the black. thick darkness, all
about, about me, and [ wave my hands
through it, and that horrible pale face
is there before me still" And with a
chilly shuddering, she placed both hands
on her face and sunk back in her chair.
"Yet I would advise you to lose no
time in returning to your father. You
will at ali events have done your duty
by making the effort at reconciliation,
and don't think SO hardly OF HIM as to
suppose lie will rejeot you, woman. If
Judge by myself, he-no-" the OLD
man paused, and shook his his head. :.
"Well? we'll? Eh? what were you going
to eay?" asked the woman eagerly, ''if
yon judged by vonrself-what?"
Nothing. I'm afraid /, 1niscalcu-
lated.'
The poor woman gave deep sigh, and
cast q disappointed look around her.
''But [ have no cause to Judge Of others
by myself. I have discovered many
symptoms of hardness and inveteracy
about my own character, which [ am
sure belong not to ali men. y
s'No matter. Tell me how you would
act yourself-for that only could give
HE satisfaction"
The palatine stared hard upon her.
"Ay-speak!' she continued, 'place
yourself in poor Sparling's SITUATION.
Suppose your daughter had served you
as served my father-ana suppose she
WIS as sorry for it as the Almighty, who
sees nay heart, knows I arn-~and sup
pose she was to come to your door again,
and stretch her hands to you, and CRY to
you for forgiveness. Would you slap
the door with a curse in her, face-~or
would YOU think of the dead mother that
bore her and that loved you dearly
ana OF the God that forgave, and COM
manded all 70 forgive--and take the
poor weeping, heart broken creature to
your heart again? Would you forgive
her?. Would you bless her? Oh you
would, sir-your heart would soften
your eyes would fIl-you woulG think
Of old tinnes-you would feel for her
you would weep with her-yon would
pardon her!'' And ringing herself i'll a
convulsion Of tears and agitation at the
old mans feet, she remained with her
hair mingled with the very dust around
them.
Tt would be difficult to give the reader
a just idea OF the change which this
speech occasioned in the person and
features Of the old Palatine. Far from
appearing affected by the grief of the
wretched woman, an expression, first of
strong surprise--then OF sickening terror
and lastly, OF great dislike passed over
them. He paused for q moment, like
one who is struggling against the con-
v1ction ef dreadful truth-set his teeth
and fetched hard breath before he
raised her from the earth-then putting
back her hair from. her face with one
hand, while he grasped her arm with the
other, he locked long and anazedlv into
her eyes, both remained fixed in the atti-
tude, and affording for several minutes
no further Indication Of life than could |
be discovered in al exquisite1y fashioned
group from the marble. At length, after
suffering his eyes to wander over the
whole person Of the female, he drew
free breath. as il relieved from dread
ful apprehension, and letting her arm
60 he said:
''I have looked over your whole per-
son, and am satisfied that you are not